Lucifer Rising: Prologue
by Jacob Rickshaw
Summary: Strange events are beginning to occur at Beacon Academy. Ruby begins to have nightmares of a human Grimm, warning her of a coming storm; a lone knight appears in the courtyard, lost and confused; and a age-old enemy of Man reveals himself. Remnant's only hope lies in the leaders of teams RWBY and JNPR, and the mysterious knight who holds the the keys to both of their broken pasts.
1. Dreams of Black

I guess it all began where it usually does: the beginning. See, back then things were a lot simpler. Life was easy, we lived a lot longer, and Man had only one rule: to NOT do the one thing that would kill us and eat from a deadly, cursed tree.

Well, nothing simple ever goes smoothly, because then Man met its first enemy. The first Grimm, the Serpent, played a dirty card, told us the secrets to the universe were locked away in the fruit, that eating it would make us gods. What a ridiculous lie!

But we still fell for it. We always do. Always have, and always will. Be it the allure of power, fame, or fortune, we always want to be gods. So at every opportunity to get closer, we take it.

Always

* * *

Ruby was definitely not okay. She could feel it everywhere, in her head, her muscles, her bones. She knew that she wasn't getting up any time soon. She had a splitting headache, felt heavy and weak, and couldn't move a single muscle in her body. And worst of all, she was still tired, exhausted. Like the last eight or so hours had all been in vain.

_All that hard work and training, and it did this to me. Now I can't even move my arms. If I ever get up, I might just cut down on my regimen._

Everybody in the room knew something was wrong with Ruby when they woke up and found her still in bed. Under normal circumstances, she was the first one up every day. She always to her team that people expect leaders to be examples of what their teammates should be like, so she tried her hardest to do just that. But today she was out cold even after the rest of her team had gotten dressed and ready for class. Blake was the first to notice Ruby's absence, and found Ruby still curled up in her bed.

At first, Blake just let it pass. Ruby worked exceptionally hard on her training every day, but yesterday was over the top, even for her. She had changed so suddenly, turning from dedicated to obsessed overnight. The team had seen no harm in the extra intensity and vigor their leader had gained, so they had left her alone to practice her skills. Ruby had stumbled into their dorm late last night and fell into her bed fully clothed. An impressive feat, as she was on a bunk suspended six feet off the floor.

But they were about to be late for Professor Port's class, and Weiss refused to go through another extra-long "When I Was A Boy…" lecture.

"Ruby, get up! We're going to be late, again."

"Just five more minutes…"

"Ruby, Ruby? Hello! Are you even there?" Weiss continued, in vain, to rouse their leader.

Yang walked up beside her, carrying a smile far too big for Weiss's taste. "I don't think that's working too well. Maybe you need to yell a bit louder?"

"Eat Dust."

"Hey, just trying to be helpful."

Weiss gave up and walked towards the door. "Sigh. Guess we'll just have to leave Ruby behind. Can't afford to miss another class, can we?"

Yang frowned. "I just hope she's okay. I've never seen her wiped out this badly, and she rarely gets sick."

So team RWBY, minus their namesake, walked out of their dorm and headed to class, leaving their leader alone for the second time in two days.

* * *

Ruby stood in a large open space. A light shone down on her, illuminating her immediate surroundings in a cold, white light. Looking down, she noticed that the floor was pitch black, barely distinguishable from the area just outside of her little ring of light. She was still in her combat skirt from the previous night, stiff and with a slight odor that she guessed was her sweat.

She knew she was asleep. She had been here before, in a dream the night before. _That's two nights in a row. This is going to be interesting._

She heard the sound of footsteps coming toward her, the thumps of heavy steps followed by something similar to stones striking together. She knew what it was that approached, somewhat. It was mostly just a guess based off of the little she had seen of the figure last time it had appeared.

The footsteps had stopped. In front of Ruby, just inside the circle of light, was the figure. It was shaped like a human, but definitely was something… other. It was covered in thick, matted black fur, and had white bone plates on its thighs, shoulders, and chest. The figure also had wolf-like claws extending from its hands and feet. Red markings decorated the bones and claws, giving off an eerie glow in the low light. The only thing that Ruby couldn't see was its face, which was just outside of her illuminated area. The creature, whatever it was, made her think of a human-like Grimm.

"Well, I should've expected this to happen again." Ruby started. "You did warn me, after all."

"That we did." The creature replied. Its speech unnerved Ruby, sounding like a chorus of different voices, male and female, young and old, all talking at the same time. It reminded her of the demons in the horror films she used to watch with Yang. "We also told you that you would have questions, so ask."

Ruby took a deep breath. She _did_ have questions, but before those, she first had to clarify something. "First off, what you told me yesterday, it doesn't make any sense, at least, not to me." She looked at where she thought the creature's eyes would be. "If trouble really is coming to Vale, then why would you tell someone like me? There are plenty of stronger, wiser, more, you know, _capable_ people out there, so why am I the first to know?"

The creature was silent for a moment. "You have impressed us, our delicate Rose. Not a compliment to be taken lightly."

That was another thing that bothered her about this Grimm: it always used terms of endearment. As if it had known her for a long time. "Okay then. Why do I need to keep this a secret? Will it tip off whoever is threatening Vale, or will it hurt somebody, or is it just so over-the-top that no one will believe me?"

"We never told you that you had to keep it a secret." It responded. "We only told you that you must trust whoever you tell. Those who you reveal this to will need to help you, and you should only ask help of those whom you trust."

Ruby could understand that logic. If she told anybody about this they would need to be able to keep it a secret, as not to cause kingdom-wide panic, and would also have to be able to help her. But she still felt uneasy about everything the figure told her.

"Our time is coming to an end," it told her. "If there is anything else you must ask, now is the time."

Ruby, knowing well enough by now to start off any and all relationships with complete strangers in distrust, had prepared a question for just such a situation. "How can I trust you? Who, or what, are you? And how do I know you're telling me the truth?"

For a moment, Ruby though she heard the creature chuckle. But it was over as quickly as it had begun. "We can be trusted, that much we can assure you of, dear Rose. I know this may sound like complete insanity, but sometimes the truth is much harder to believe than a lie. And to your final question," The creature took a step forward into the light, revealing its previously hidden face. It was another bone plate, with holes cut out in the center for the eyes to see through. Red tribal markings covered its surface, looking like a cross between Grimm and warrior tattoos. Yet only one thing had captured Ruby's attention, and it would not let her go.

"We are the coming storm, child. We warn you of us, so that when the day comes, you will know exactly who it was that ended your precious world." Ruby still could not avert her eyes from the object that so held her focus.

"We are Legion, and I am Lucifer."

Instantly, the dark world faded around her, and Ruby was back in her bed at Beacon, sweating hard, breathing heavily. All she could think of was his last words, and that horrifying final reveal of his identity, specifically that one, disturbing feature.

_His eyes, _she thought to herself, shivering. _They were mine!_


	2. The Mysterious Knight

**Sorry I forgot to add a foreword to the first chapter to make things a little easier for everybody to understand. Let me amend that here.**

**This story is my first fanfic in a long, long time. It's also the first story that I've written in over a year, so please bear with me. It's just going to be the start-up for my main series, hence the title "Prologue". It'll introduce all of the main characters and set up the basic path the series will follow. That's also why there's the little intro part on each chapter. It'll be exclusive to this story. Be prepared for some surprises and hints at future events in the next couple of chapters.**

**Now that you know a little more about the story, I'll stop talking and let you get back to your regularly scheduled entertainment.**

* * *

After we had committed humanity's greatest act of stupidity, we realized that we had not only condemned ourselves to death, but we had made ourselves vulnerable. If we could be so easily deceived by a single Grimm, how would we stand against a pack, or a clan, much less the infested world? We knew we were screwed.

That's when The Warrior intervened. He gave us a way out, gave us a tool to fight back against the Grimm. He was the one who told us about the Dust, and showed us how to make it, how it could be used to push back the Grimm, and even kill them. We asked Him, "If you can make Dust and want to give it to us, then why don't You get rid of the Grimm?"

He simply smiled and chuckled. "I could, but that wouldn't make as exciting a story, now would it?"

After that, no one ever saw Him again. We all wondered where He had gone off to and what His last words had meant, but more pressing matters had arisen. The Grimm had begun to attack.

Armed with tools forged with the Dust we had been given, mankind faced the Grimm threat, looked straight into the face of death, and laughed.

* * *

It was morning. That was the first thing he noticed about this new place, right before he noticed he was outside. He could feel the dew beneath him, feel the wind softly blow against his face, and his eyelids were a dull red color, as if the sun was shining directly into them. It was summer; he felt the warmth of a summer breeze flow around his body. He was close to the sea, and was on a high plateau. He knew that from the wet smell in the breeze and the speed of the wind around him. He also knew that he was sheltered from the brunt of it. He heard the air whisper as it passed along some object surrounding him.

It was about then that he realized his eyes had been closed. Immediately, he opened them to reveal a single white statue in front of him with the sun directly behind it. The statue featured two warriors, arms raised and standing on a rock, looking as if they had recently won a battle.

_Where the heck am I?_ The man asked himself. Standing up, he heard the _cha-clink_ of his armor scraping itself and felt his movements stiffened by the gear. _I thought I had that smith fix those problems last week. When I find that lady, I am going to make it very clear to her what happens when you mess with a Knight's armor._

He stretched, trying to loosen his armor and regain some mobility. Once he was satisfied with its range of motion, he looked around and, seeing a nearby building, began walking towards it. _Well, I guess it's time to meet the locals._

* * *

Ozpin looked over the knight one more time, just to confirm that he wasn't hallucinating. Yep, he was still there, fully suited in iron armor, helmet on, blade at his side, arms crossed, and looking about as pissed as they come. "You're about to cause a lot of trouble for both me and my students if I grant your request, young man."

"And if that happens, I expect you will do the same for me." The knight replied, voice distorted and metallic-sounding through his headgear. "All I ask is for a place to stay for some time until I get my bearings, then I'll be off and out of your hair."

Thoughts began to race through the young man's head. "_Students" means academy, meaning this "Ozpin" guy is probably a professor. And from the way he makes his threats and stand up to me, he's most likely the headmaster._

"Headmaster, you must have a spare room or an open dorm _somewhere_ in this academy. It's summer, and your dorms are likely much less crowded during the current season. I only ask that you provide me with a bed and a locked door. I'll only use it for a few days, then I will be off and you can go back to however you ran this school beforehand."

Ozpin looked startled at the response of his visitor. He realized that his guest was more intelligent than he looked, and immediately became suspicious of him. _Suspicion I can manipulate, hostility I cannot. _Thought the knight.

"You seem to know quite a bit about my Academy, Sir Knight." Ozpin had quickly regained his composure. "Have you been to Beacon before?"

"Never heard of it." The knight answered.

"Well, then. If that's the case, I'll have someone show you around." Ozpin reached for a small black button on the edge of his desk. "Please send in Ms. Rose."

The knight heard the sound of a door opening, and turned in time to see a young girl in a black and red combat skirt and cape walk into the room. Attached to her belt were magazines, bullets, and a rectangular red contraption that looked quite heavy. She had short, dark red hair, and a child-like face. But the most intriguing thing about her was her silver-colored eyes.

The girl slowly looked up, first focusing on him, then on Ozpin.

"Ms. Rose, I would like you to take our guest on a tour of the Academy." He told her.

"Yes, Professor." She said, quietly and resigned.

She motioned for the knight to follow her. He walked out of the door, immediately followed by the girl. "Ms. Rose, when you're done with the tour, please show our guest to his quarters. They'll be the door down from you." Ozpin stated.

As the door closed, the knight swore he heard Ozpin say "I'll need _someone_ to keep an eye on you."

* * *

They had finished the tour earlier than expected. Ruby was still disappointed that she had missed her first class that day, and couldn't believe it when Professor Ozpin had told her to take the day off. Despite the few boring classes (mainly Professor Port's morning lectures) Ruby actually enjoyed school. In fact, she had enjoyed it so much she signed up for the summer classes to improve her skills. She also hated being late, and this morning's little escapade really bothered her.

Especially the dream. She couldn't remember all of it, but she could recall the human Grimm, warnings of some kind of apocalypse, and the silver eyes. She had no idea what it all meant, but she had a pretty good feeling that it was important.

Suddenly a voice startled her, and she realized where she was. She was sitting down on one of the benches facing the front of the statue centerpiece at Beacon. Next to her, making himself somewhat comfortable was the strange knight. He still was wearing his helmet. _Does he ever take that thing off? I wonder if it gets hot in there, especially now._

"What's your name?" he repeated, calmly and coolly.

"Ruby. Ruby Rose." She answered, now smiling.

"Ruby. Nice name. Story behind that, or something?" he asked.

Ruby thought it over a second. "No, not really. Guess my mom just liked the name."

"Hm. I can see why."

Ruby turned to give the knight a questioning look, but it was hard when she had no clue where his eyes were. She tried her best anyways. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

The knight looked at the statue in front of them. He leaned back, put his arms behind his head, and crossed his legs. "It means that I like the name. Quite fitting, actually. Your outfit seems to fit the theme."

Ruby continued to look at him for just a moment longer, then turned back to the statue.

"I've never seen it from this side. Looks much more gruesome." He stated.

Ruby shrugged. She knew he was talking about the statue. From the front, it showed a Hunter and a Huntress standing on a rock, fist raised in victory. Beneath the rock was a Grimm, shown roaring as it is crushed. "It does its job, shows us that our enemy can be beaten."

The man continued to look at the statue. "An enemy can always be beaten. It just takes the right kind of weapon."

"That's how I feel." She replied. "I've always thought weapons were better than people. Even their names are cooler." She paused. "What's yours?"

"Say again?"

"Your name, what is it?" she gave him another look. "Honestly, what do you even look like?" She felt it was a legitimate question, seeing as he was covered from head to toe in iron armor.

"Name: Natal Rickshay. Looks: well, don't get your hopes up for some kind of prince charming. In fact, I look kinda like that guy."

Ruby looked at Natal. His arm was held out, index finger extended, pointing past the iconic sculpture. As she followed the imaginary line extending from his hand, she noticed that Jaune Arc was walking towards them, waving his hand excitedly. Looking back at Natal, she saw him waving as well, and not wanting to look like the only one who had no idea what was going on, she waved too.

"Hey Ruby!" Jaune said once he had reached them. He glanced over at Natal. "Who's your friend?"

Before Ruby had a chance to open her mouth, Natal was standing up, shaking Jaune's hand. "I'm Natal, and you are?"

"Jaune Arc, leader of team JNPR, Hunter in training!" He smiled, and the two dropped hands.

Ruby quickly jumped up, using her semblance without realizing, and stood between the two. "Well, Natal, looks like you got to meet my friend, Jaune. Now, if you'll excuse us for a moment." She quickly pulled Jaune out of earshot while Natal brushed rose petals out of his face.

"Jaune! What are you doing here! Where have you been! Never mind, never mind!" She gave him a big hug. "Oh, I'm just happy to see you!"

"Ack! Ruby. You're. Crushing. Me!" She quickly let go of the scrawny kid and gave out a little squeak of excitement.

"Ruby, some day – someday, you are going to be the death of me." He panted. After a moment of rest, he just smiled at her. "I'm back. That's it. That's my story." He hung his head. "Not very exciting, is it?"

At the moment, Ruby didn't care how or why. She was just happy she wouldn't have to spend her summer alone anymore. "Doesn't matter. Where's the rest of JNPR? Did they come as well?"

"Yeah, they're all in class. I just arrived a little late. Speaking of which," he turned back to the iron-clad knight. "Hey! Natal! Get over here!"

Turning back to her. "Why aren't you in class as well?"

Ruby immediately felt her cheek's flush from embarrassment. Jaune was one of two people who knew how much Ruby loved school, Yang being the other; both of whom had been eye-witnesses of her one and only previous incident where she had been late to class. "Well, I was… you know…"

"She was giving me a tour of the place." Natal said as he walked up. Ruby, thankful of the save, continued.

"Yeah, Ozpin wanted me to give him a tour then take him to the empty dorm next to me and the rest of team RWBY." She explained. "Although I still don't know why." She turned to the metal man beside them. "Care to shed some light?"

"I'm lost," He replied. "And I'm looking for some answers." He then proceeded to lift his hands up to his head, and pulled off the helmet.

What Ruby and Jaune saw shocked the both of them. A young face, exactly like Jaune's looked back at them. Short brown hair shifted in the breeze, brown eyes studied their reactions. Brown skin reflected the sunlight at them. If Jaune had a twin brother, who was darker and much more inclined to the color brown, then Natal would have been it.

He looked Ruby straight in the eye, and said, "I also hope to answer those of others."

* * *

**Okay, sorry for the crappy ending, but it was either end here or go on for another three thousand words (seriously, that's how long the next chapter is). I absolutely don't want to have to do more of these fore- and after-words if I can avoid it. So I'll be brief.**

**The next few chapters are where the actual story will begin to unfold. So to sum it up, imagine that the next paragraph is being read to you by Morgan Freeman.**

**New friends will join. Old enemies will cross. Pasts will catch up. Futures will become inescapable. Secrets will be revealed.**

**All in the coming chapters of **_**Lucifer**__**Rising**_**: **_**Prologue**_


	3. Welcome to Beacon

**Okay guys, thanks for all of your awesome input and support! I really do love to hear from you guys, so keep it up!**

**I felt like I should tell you guys about how I'm scheduling this, so that you don't get confused. Every chapter will come out the night after I have finished writing it, so for instance, that's why chapter two came out so quickly after chapter one, and why this chapter is coming out only a day later. So expect at the earliest for a new chapter to come out the next day, and at the latest maybe three or four days.**

**Back to our story!**

* * *

There was little the Grimm could do against us. The Dust worked far better than expected, scattering their forces as if they were mere insects. We killed them in droves, leaving no survivors. Those who became skilled at this slaughter were given the title of Hunter or Huntress.

While the Hunters pushed back the Grimm, the rest of mankind began to establish itself. They built towns, cities, even countries in the absence of the dark plague. Four great nations rose to power in this fragile peace-time. They became known as Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, and Vale. Of these four regions, Vale became most known for creating extraordinary Hunters and Huntresses.

But these men and women were unstable, and longed for the blood of their enemies to spill before them. After the Grimm had been pushed to the fringes of the world, those Hunters who did not continue to monitor the borders came back to society completely changed. They had learned to forge their own weapons, manufacture their own Dust, and were skilled in various forms of combat. They also had to bear the scars of war - the loss of comrades, dreams of the horrors in battle, bloodlust, and wounds that would never fully heal.

Most tried to conform to the unfamiliar society, but many realized they would never fit in with the peace-loving world they had fought so hard to protect. Some became bounty hunters, where they could be paid to do what they had done to the Grimm on other humans. Some became outlaws, deciding that they could never rejoin society after lives of relishing war. A few lost their sanity, and were never heard from again. And that was the beginning of the destruction of mankind's greatest warriors.

* * *

Jaune had no idea how to react to what was before him. It felt like he was looking into a mirror, seeing Natal. They were the same height, same expressions, almost same everything. Except for some noticeable differences.

One was Natal's hair style. His hair flipped up, instead of hanging down in front of his face like it did for Jaune. The hair on the top of his head was messy, but still held itself down. Probably from his helmet. The sides of his head were slicked back, curving downwards at the back.

Another big difference between the two was their builds. Although Jaune did fit the average description of a knight - wide shoulders, straight posture, and slightly muscular - he leaned more towards the _slightly_ part than the muscular one. Natal, on the other hand, was the archetype of knighthood. Even through the armor, Jaune could tell he had a thicker, tougher build.

Their voices also differed slightly. Natal's was just a tad lower than Jaune's and was slightly gruffer.

They all sat in Natal's room, just down the hall from their own dorms. Upon entering they had found a single bed, a chair, and a table in the center of the room. After some quick rearranging, they had made the place a little more comfortable, with the bed against the wall, the chair next to it, and the table between the two. Under the covers of the bed they had found a scroll waiting for Natal, who was clueless to its operation. Ruby was on the bed next to him, teaching him its functions while Jaune just sat in the chair.

Natal and Ruby had apparently gotten into an argument while Jaune had been lost in thought. "How have you never seen a scroll before? Everybody in Vytal has one!"

"Everybody? That's a strong word, Ruby. Sure you want to use it?" Natal replied.

"Okay, not _everybody_, but most people at least know how to use one!"

"Haven't I already proven I'm not most people?" Natal looked over at Jaune. "It's not every day you find your doppelganger, is it?"

Jaune pointed a finger at himself. "Who, me? Well, I knew it wasn't long before I met someone as handsome as myself." He smiled.

Natal gave him the flattest look Jaune had ever seen in his life. "Pride is obviously something we'll _both_ have to work on." Turning back to Ruby. "So, show me a map of Remnant."

Ruby quickly pulled up the request and handed it to him. "See, there's Vale, and there's Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlas." She pointed out each of them as she went. "Here's the city of Vale…"

"Kind of redundant." Natal sighed.

"…and here's Beacon." Ruby stopped and gave Natal a quizzical look. "Why do you ask?"

Jaune leaned forward in his seat. _Good question, Ruby._ He thought to himself. _Why would he need a map of Remnant? Everybody knows where everything in Remnant is, at least in terms of the kingdoms and cities. It's elementary._

Natal looked forward again. He took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I have this feeling…"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!?" shouted an all too familiar voice.

Everyone in the room was startled when they saw Yang, Blake, and Weiss standing in the doorway together. Yang had her hand outstretched, pointing straight at Ruby. Once Ruby understood what her sister was implying. She immediately blushed and began to lower her head, if another voice had not startled everyone else all over again.

"YOU!" shouted Weiss, whipping Myrtenaster out of its sheath, pointing it at Natal. "YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!"

Yang's mouth fell open as Weiss jumped forward and looked hard into the eyes of the knight. "I killed you with my own hands, I saw you die right in front of me. Answer me! HOW ARE YOU STILL HERE!?"

Natal slowly rose and stood in front of her, so that Myrtenaster's point was only centimeters from his chest. He had his helmet in his left hand, his right one on the hilt of his sword, and a smile on his face. "Hello, Snow Angel." He chuckled before letting his smile fade and immediately became somber.

Jaune couldn't believe the scenario that had unfolded before him. And in his usual socially awkward way, he decided to state the obvious. "So, you two know each other, then?"

Weiss pushed her sword a little closer, and activated the red Dust in the chamber. It immediately glowed a hot crimson color, heat radiating from the blade.

Natal continued to look at her, apparently studying her. After a brief moment of tense silence, he answered simply, "No."

He then proceeded to do something completely and utterly stupid, yet at the same time undeniably brilliant. He slowly lifted his right hand until it was a few mere millimeters from the blade. Then he grabbed it. Everyone in the room expected him to begin screaming in pain from the heat. But he just stood there, unmoved, as he slowly pushed the blade to the side. Weiss looked absolutely horrified at this display of control and strength. After the blade had cleared his body, Natal yanked the blade from her hand, looked at it for a second, then grasped the hilt.

Nobody had expected that, but they were even more surprised when he took the blade and stabbed at her. Jaune thought Natal was going to impale her with her own blade. He was surprised nobody had lost it yet, although Weiss was nearly there. But when she looked down her face turned to one of surprise and wonder. Jaune took the moment to look as well, and his jaw dropped.

Back at her side, sheathed and deactivated, was Myrtenaster.

_First you grab her red-hot blade, then you disarm her, then you sheathe her weapon for her. Who exactly are you? And what are you up to? _Jaune questioned himself.

"Whoever you think I am, I'm not." He took a step back, still looking into Weiss's eyes. "And please, if you want to kill me, at least do it outside."

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter, I swear I'll make it up to you tomorrow with Chapter IV. I'm already a few chapters ahead, but I don't want to give you all too much at once. But for the sake of entertainment I'll release the next chapter tomorrow afternoon instead of so late at night.**

**I also just wanted to say that I have a very general direction about this story, and am inviting you to contribute to the story. If you have any ideas of what you'd like to see in the story, either PM me or write it in when you submit your review. **

**Just please, no romance-related stuff. (SPOILER ALERT!) THAT story I have fully planned out.**

**Until next time, read on!**


	4. Questions and Answers

To prevent another incident like this, Vale created its first Academy for Hunters. High in the mountains to the West, a stone Tower overlooked a lush valley where a massive campus had been built to house the Academy. For hundreds of years, it was known as the greatest and toughest school in Remnant. Students who wished to join were given a set of three tasks.

First, they had to build their own weapon before they came to the Academy. Prospective students were given just enough metal and Dust to forge themselves a single weapon of their choice. Many simply created augmented weapons, such as transforming weapons or bladed guns. But a few created true weapons of destruction, bastardizations of powerful melee combat and merciless gunfire.

After they had completed their new tool, they were given a rucksack with food, water, and some basic supplies before being sent off to find the Academy. From the City of Vale, a dense forest, rivers, and a lake stood between them and the Academy. Yet what none of the students were told was that they were also crossing through Grimm-infested territory.

If the students were able to survive the trek to the Academy, one final challenge awaited them. The door to the Tower, the only entrance to the school, was sealed with Aura. Only a student whose Aura was powerful enough and pure enough could open the door that barred them from their training. If they passed this challenge, they were immediately accepted and began their training.

* * *

Ruby only just noticed that her mouth was wide open, jaw dropped. She quickly closed it and tried to comprehend what she had just seen. Weiss had just confronted her new friend, Natal, waving her sword around and shouting death threats at him. Then she activated Myrtenaster's red Dust and really, _really_ got intense. Ruby had thought that a battle was going to erupt right before her, and everyone would have been caught in the crossfire.

But Natal had just stayed calm, and _took the rapier right out of Weiss's hand! _Not only that, but had then proceeded to sheathe it for her, obviously signaling that he wasn't going to fight. He had completely shocked everyone in the room. Few people could stand up to Weiss's wrath, let alone talk back and disarm her.

Ruby thought all of this in about a second, and then began to notice Natal's legs shake a little. She jumped forward and grabbed his arm just as he stumbled back. "Whoa, there. You alright?" She asked.

Natal gave a nervous laugh. "That was a bit tougher than I thought it would be." He looked up at Weiss. "What is that stuff?"

Weiss immediately forgot everything that had just happened once she realized this knight had no clue what Dust was. "It's Dust, you dolt! Don't you have any idea what you were dealing with? I could've burnt your hand off!"

"Never heard of the stuff." Natal replied. He laid his hand on Ruby's, and she let go of him. Standing up again, he looked at Weiss's blade. "But now I'm interested."

"Dust is a natural energy source here on Remnant." Weiss explained. "It has many different forms, like fire, ice, and light. We use it mostly to power tools and factories, but it was originally designed to fight off the Grimm."

"It's becoming more and more obvious that I know very little about Remnant. I'm going to have to amend that." Natal picked up his scroll, quickly moving through the menus.

Ruby was all of a sudden very confused. "Wait, I thought you said you knew nothing about scrolls?"

"I asked what a scroll was." Natal replied. "Now that I know, I can tell you that I've used something similar before." He pulled up a star chart and rotated through the views until he was watching the night sky from the point of a distant star. "Now, where am I?"

"Wait a second," This time it was Jaune who spoke up. "How did you do that? With Weiss's blade, I mean."

Natal pointed past the group of girls in the doorway, and everybody turned to see Pyrrha, Ren and Nora peeking in. "Bet you my armor that Amazon lady is about to tell you."

Pyrrha looked completely bewildered. "How did you..."

Natal closed the scroll and stuffed it inside his armor. "Sensed a pretty strong Aura nearby, and I just pinned it on the toughest looking person around."

Pyrrha regained her composure and addressed the rest of the group. "I came here because I felt a massive Aura spike about a minute ago. It was bigger than anything that a normal student here at Beacon could make, so I decided to check it out."

"Guessing that was from our mysterious knight in shining armor." Yang commented.

"Really?" Pyrrha looked over Natal. "Amazing, your Aura is one of the strongest I've seen." She gave him an interested look. "Where'd you learn to do something like that?"

"Personal trainer," he answered. "By the way, I'm Natal. Pleasure to meet you."

Pyrrha walked in and shook his hand "Pyrrha. Likewise"

Ruby realized that Natal was in a room full of complete strangers, and immediately jumped up to introduce everybody. "Natal, let me introduce you to team RWBY! This is Blake, Yang, and Weiss. Over here is team JNPR. You've already met Jaune and Pyrrha, this is Nora, and here's Ren."

"Nice to meet you all." He frowned. "If we want to continue this conversation, we should probably move to someplace a little more... Open."

* * *

They were all outside now. Team JNPR was sitting on a set of benches across from team RWBY. Well, most of them at least. Jaune and Ruby both stood by Natal in between the two teams. Ruby felt a little nervous. She didn't like being in the spotlight that Natal had made for himself, but she wanted to defend her new friend. She had no idea why, but she felt that it was necessary. She was also nervous because Yang kept glaring at her. She knew what her sister was thinking, and it made Ruby really, really uncomfortable. _I do NOT like him, Yang. I just want to be a good friend. Why do you always go so overboard... _She seriously considered using her semblance to disappear in a flurry of rose petals, but decided against it.

Natal was the first to speak. "Before I'm subject to a flurry of questions I'm sure you all have, I have just one I'd like to ask." He turned to Weiss, somber. "What did you mean when you said that you recognized me?"

Weiss sighed. "Before I came to Beacon, I fought a large Knight in the same armor as you. He had threatened to kill my family, and forced me to meet him in an abandoned castle to settle the matter. He challenged me to a duel, where I defeated and killed him." She straight at Natal, anger etched across her face. "He called me Snow Angel."

Natal laughed. "The Snow Angel thing was just a tease." He put his hand to his chest. "But I'm certain he wasn't in _this_ armor."

There was a big flash of light, the sound of metal sliding against metal, and then silence. Ruby realized that she had covered her face with her hands. As she slowly lowered them, she saw everyone where they were before, teams RWBY and JNPR in their seats, Jaune, Natal, and her standing before them all. Except now, Natal was wearing the same armor as Jaune, except where Jaune had a black hoodie, Natal had a blue one, and wore black pants.

Ruby looked at everyone else's reaction through the corner of her eye. On the RWBY side, Blake looked impressed, Yang was showing her signature diabolical smile, and Weiss was sitting with her arms crossed, muttering something along the lines of "show off."

Team JNPR, on the other hand, was caught completely off guard. Pyrrah's jaw had completely dropped, Ren looked like he'd just been slapped in the face, and for once Nora was completely speechless.

Ruby snuck a quick look at Jaune, watching his reaction. Surprisingly, he reflected none of the emotions of either team group. He simply stood there looking at Natal, neither surprised nor impressed. "That's going to be confusing" was all he said.

Ruby found it quite amusing seeing the two next to each other. They looked like twins with completely opposing color schemes. One had a black hoodie and blue pants, the other a blue hoodie and black pants. One had blond hair and blue eyes, the other had brown hair and brown eyes.

Natal gave everybody a moment to compose themselves, then crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow, and asked "Any questions?"

Ruby and Juane were both knocked backwards as both teams rushed to Natal, frantically asking him questions and feeling his armor, unable to believe their eyes. It was then that they saw Natal's character come out. Unlike how he had presented himself earlier, Natal quickly shied away from all of the attention. When he realized that he wouldn't be able to escape their curiosity for some time, he simply gave in and let everyone talk over each other and feel his armor.

"He handles himself a lot like the both of you." Blake said, suddenly between the Ruby and Jaune. Neither were that surprised, compared with everything that had happened today, watching Blake both talk to them and be a part of the fray madly dashing at Natal rated as one of the least confusing.

"Yeah, he really does." Ruby looked over to Jaune. "He's obviously a lot more like you, though."

Jaune blushed. "Thanks."

Typically, when any girl complimented Jaune he rolled with it. He would go on about how great he was in an effort to impress them, telling them of his natural blonde hair, or of how he was a team leader, or, more often than not, about his "singleness." But he never acted like that around Ruby. When she complimented him, she could trust that he would take it seriously and appreciate it. That was one thing that she liked about him: that she could speak her mind to him and not be misinterpreted or ridiculed.

Ruby walked over to Jaune and they stood, side by side, watching as Natal tried to get himself out of the mess he'd made.

_Jaune's great that way, _She thought to herself. _Sure, he may be overbearing at times, but he's dependable, honest, and respectful to me. Whether it's because he likes me or because he just wants to be a good friend doesn't matter. _She looked over at him. He was smiling, watching Natal struggling to get Nora off of him.

Jaune must have noticed her looking, because he turned his head just a little to look back, and gave her a smile. Ruby quickly ducked her head down. She tried to get her cheeks to stop blushing and stop smiling to herself. _I don't know what it is about him, but whatever it is, I like it. It make him different._

_My kind of different._

* * *

**So this is that romance I was talking about. I know, I'm not that good, but trust me, if you could see the story as it is on my computer, it's much better than this. thanks for staying interested and I hope to finish the series by the Volume 2 premiere!**

**Until next time, read on!**


	5. Turn From the Past

**Okay, I can't stand the wait. I've had this story finished for a few days now and it's driving me nuts having the patience to upload it tomorrow. So, to ruin all of your nights and leave you with a horrible cliffhanger, I'll upload this tonight and you can all read the finale tomorrow!**

**But before I let you get to the story, I feel I have to answer an important question, as I didn't cover it as much as I should have.**

**AndreiN00B asks:**

**"I wonder how he (Natal) got there? Does he remember anything from what happened to him before he just appeared there?"**

**Well, I've already put some hints into where he's from, so if anyone wants to take a guess reread the story and see if you can find them. At the moment, the reveal of how he gets to Beacon is planned to be in my next story, _Lucifer Rising: The Academy._ And, to answer that final question, yes, he remembers most of his life before waking up in Vale, but he can't remember the days leading up to that event.**

**Hope that cleared some things up about my OC, and has perked your interest in him. Also, I hope you are all filled with suspense after you finish this chapter and can't wait to read the finale. On to the show!**

* * *

Very few still attempt the journey to the Academy of Hunters. With schools like Signal and Beacon popping up all over Remnant, it was much easier to just go somewhere nearby. But those schools were never able to even touch the caliber of the students who went to the Academy.

Those who successfully made it to the Academy were never there for more than a season. They either died during training or finished their studies in that time, and came out as the greatest Hunters and Huntresses that Remnant had ever seen.

Now, it has been over two hundred years since the last student left Vale to make the dangerous trek to the Academy. But there, it is said, lives a Warrior. A Warrior who could create any weapon, use any Dust, slay any Grimm. A Warrior who stands by, waiting and watching for his time to come.

A Warrior who patiently awaits for the return of mankind's demise. The Return of The Serpent.

* * *

It took Jaune only a moment notice that something was wrong. He could no longer hear the sounds of his team crawling over Natal. In fact, when he turned his head back to them, they were gone.

Everything was gone.

The only things that were left were Natal, himself, and Ruby. They stood together on a black floor, completely surrounded by darkness. They stood in a ring of light, about ten meters across. Jaune immediately reached for his sword, but found it missing.

"Where's my…" He began.

Ruby's silver eyes were wide with fear and dread. "I'm here, again." She turned and saw that Natal and Jaune were with her. "You're here. You guys are _here!_ Oh my gosh, this is bad, this is bad, this is bad!"

Jaune grabbed his friend by the shoulders and gave her a good shake. "Ruby! Hold yourself together! Where are we? What is this place?"

Ruby seemed at a loss for words, still in shock from finding her friends with her in this strange place. _Great. Looks like we aren't getting anything from her for a while._

"Quickly, I don't have much time." Said a strained voice. They all turned to look at a new figure who'd appeared. He stood about six feet tall, a few inches above the rest of them. He wore a red robe lined with gold, and a hood that completely hid his features from the light. His hands wore thick leather gloves, and his arms were completely hidden by the monk-like attire. In his right hand was a staff, and in his left was a letter of some kind.

Ruby took a step forward, shaken from her stupor. "Who are you?" She questioned. "Where is Lucifer?"

"That is what I came here to talk about." He held out his left hand, which shook quite a bit. Ruby took the letter and stuffed it in her pocket. "You'll need to fill your friends in with your story, but I have more to tell."

He turned towards Jaune and Natal, and tapped his staff once on the ground. _Tap._ "Long ago, a creature we call The Serpent corrupted mankind, making them vulnerable to the Grimm and their forces. Man, both human and faunas alike, were cornered, and about to be destroyed." _Tap._ "A Man we simply know as The Warrior gave us Dust, and taught us how to make it ourselves. We used this Dust and fought back the Grimm, driving them to the edge of the world." _Tap. _" The Serpent, realizing that this Warrior had ruined his plans, chased Him into the mountains to the west. There, the Warrior built a Tower, and sealed it with His Aura, preventing the Grimm from entering." _Tap. _"Every day, the Warrior would leave the Tower to battle the Serpent, and every night, He would return, exhausted from battle." _Tap. _" The two were very evenly matched. After weeks on end of this kind of fighting, the Warrior was finally able to draw The Serpent into a pit, where He again sealed it with His Aura and trapped The Serpent forever." _Tap._

The man, or at least Jaune assumed he was, turned to all of them. "Or so we thought. Recently, the seal has been broken, and The Serpent has escaped from his prison." He turned so that his attention was focused on Ruby. "And he has come to you, hoping to strike fear into the hearts of men once more, before bringing a swift and brutal end to the world as we know it."

He took a few steps back, and addressed them all once more. "You're time is running short, Hunters. You are the only ones who know what is coming. And it is coming soon." He turned around, and without looking back, gave one final piece of advice.

"Go. Take your friends, leave Vale behind, find the Warrior's Academy, and defeat Lucifer."

He disappeared. Ruby shouted after him "Wait! Why do we have to go? Where are we going? How can we defeat Lucifer? WHO ARE YOU!?"

But he was gone. In fact, the whole world was going. All of a sudden they were back, still standing in the courtyard. But they all stood together, away from the other students. And they faced the Western Mountains.

* * *

Jaune looked across the cliffs to see the dense forest between them and the mountains. The _Grimm_-_infested_ forest.

"You wouldn't happen to still have that letter on you, Ruby, would you?" he asked.

Ruby, still looking at the mountains, pulled it from her pocket. "Right here." She said, in a small voice.

Jaune took it and opened it. It contained a list of supplies, a map, and a signature. "Okay, let's see here. We've got some supplies, a map of what looks to by Vytal, and a signature that I think reads 'W. Michael.'"

Natal also held his focus on the mountains. "Hm, I'm guessing that's the guy we met. He sure had an air of authority around him."

"Yeah," agreed Jaune. "And one of the heebie-jeebies. That guy was freaky. Wonder what the 'W' stands for?"

Ruby spoke suddenly, still focused on the distant range. "Guys, we need to get our teams together, fast. If Michael is right, then we don't have much time before Hell literally breaks loose."

Jaune nodded his head. "Yeah, I agree."

They ran back as fast as they could to the center of the courtyard, where the very confused teams RWBY and JNPR were waiting.

"Guys, pack up and grab your gear, were heading out." Ruby ordered.

Jaune nodded. "You guys as well, JNPR."

Yang stepped into his way. "What's the rush, Vomit Boy. Going somewhere?"

"Yang, I don't have time to deal with you…" Jaune began.

"Oh, you don't have time to deal with me, but you have plenty of time to disappear off with my sister? Why, when I get through with you…" Yang's eyes turned red and she began to smoke.

Then Natal stepped forward and grabbed Yang's arm. He had changed armors again, now in a black set of armor reminiscent of some futuristic movie and a mimic of Ember Celica on his wrists.

"Pack. Now."

* * *

They all had gotten their bare essentials and met in the courtyard when Pyrrha asked what was going on.

Ruby answered for Jaune, who wasn't quite sure if he knew the answer or not. "Something really bad is about to happen to Vale, and the only way that we can be safe is if we get to the Western Mountains before it happens."

"Bad like what?" Weiss asked.

"Like, ancient evil bad." Jaune responded, a little too harsh for his own taste. "Like, the kind that wants to kill us all. The kind that not only wants to eliminate humanity from Remnant, but also has the capability to do so."

Natal stepped forward and went off of Jaune's speech. He had reverted back to his "pseudo-Jaune" outfit. "We are talking about an archetype of evil coming here. Trust me when I say that none of you want to be here when this attack begins. This thing, this Serpent, wants us all dead, and it won't stop until it has what it wants."

The courtyard was completely silent. They all had a look of utter despair on their faces. None of them were able to move, so shocked and horrified they were. It was only after a few moments that they were even able to blink, much less speak.

Blake was the first one to pass her stupor. "The Serpent. You mean, _The _Serpent. The one who caused the first destruction of humanity?"

Now it was Ruby's turn give a difficult answer. "Yes, Blake. The one and the same. The only place that we know is safe is in those mountains, and all we have in the way of directions is a poorly drawn map." Ruby showed everybody the letter that the trio had received.

"So, where do we go first?" asked Nora, somehow still perky after all the doom-and-gloom speech.

"Well…" Ruby was interrupted by the sound of crumbling stone. The students looked up to see the statue rupture down the middle and black mist pour out. The ground began to shake, and the street split apart.

"To the airships!" shouted Jaune. "Move! Now!"

Everyone grabbed their belongings and sprinted as fast as they could to the landing pads. The earth continued to shake, knocking them sideways at times, throwing them to the ground at others. The black mist continued to chase after them.

Then, suddenly, black spikes began to shoot up out of the ground. They came up fast and angled, always thrusting into the way of the escaping group. Jaune tried his hardest to avoid them, but he felt some of the rocks graze his skin or strike his armor. When he looked up and saw the docks only a few meters away, he sprinted inside and jumped into the cockpit.

"Pyrrha! You know how to fly one of these things?" Jaune shouted into the passenger bay.

The Huntress jumped into the copilot's seat and grabbed a handle. "Not a clue, Jaune."

"Well then, in that case." Jaune pushed the intercom button and spoke into the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts, this is going to be one bumpy ride."

"Is everybody in?" Pyrrha shouted through the doorway.

Ruby poked her head in. "All present and accounted for. Take off when ready." She disappeared down the hatch.

Jaune was quite happy to find that the engines were already active, and put his hands on the pilot-wheel. "Well, I'll either conquer my motion sickness, or we'll crash."

Pyrrha closed her eyes. "Not very encouraging, Jaune."

"Here goes nothing!" Jaune pulled up on the throttle and the ship shot into the air. Surprisingly, Jaune's stomach wasn't queasy at all. In fact, he felt great!

New confidence surging through him, Jaune guessed his way through some of the controls, and began to steer the ship towards the City of Vale. After setting a course into the computer (he just tapped a place on the cockpit's map display), he stood up and walked down to the passenger bay. Pyrrha still had her eyes closed, holding on tightly to her seat.

* * *

Jaune found teams RWBY and JNPR fastened in their seats, looking out at Beacon. Jaune walked to the nearest window to see for himself the damage done.

What he saw was complete ruins. Buildings collapsed, streets sunken in, whole dorms spilled out onto the campus. The only building still standing was Professor Ozpin's office. Then, that was gone too. A massive black spire shot up from the building, blowing it outwards and collapsing the walls. Beacon was gone. There was no going back.

Jaune thought that he saw a lone black figure standing on the cliffs, looking directly at him. After a moment of looking back, he realized that it was a Grimm.

"Yeah, it was shocking the first time I saw him, too." Ruby was standing next to Jaune, looking at the dark silhouette. "He called himself Lucifer. He told me that an apocalypse was coming, so powerful that not even the greatest Hunters could stop it."

Jaune looked at her. She was downcast, her silver eyes pointing at her feet. "At first I thought he was giving me a warning. Now I know what he was really doing."

"And what would that be?" Jaune asked her.

She turned to look at Jaune with her deep, silver eyes. They seemed so full of emotion. Anger, hate, sorrow, dread, hopelessness, Jaune saw them all there. But he saw that one emotion greatly outshone all the others.

"He was trying to scare me." She finally said. "But I won't let him."

It was purpose. Jaune saw in her a purpose that burned so hot that he wasn't sure if it would ever burn out.

"And how do you plan to do that?" Jaune smiled.

Ruby smiled back at him. "Simple. I'll scare him first."

* * *

**One night away till the end of _Lucifer Rising: Prologue, _so I just want to thank you all for your input, support, and various funny comments you've given me. After the series ends, I'll be taking a short hiatus to watch the first episode of Volume 2. After that, expect _Academy _to begin!**

**Until next time, read on!**


	6. And Embrace the Future

Legend tells us that when the Serpent rises again, only a team of Remnant's greatest warriors will stop them. Hunter and Huntresses of great power, well versed the Ancient Ways of battle and control. Hunters and Huntresses of the Academy.

The Legend also mentions three things about the team. One, that a traitor would arise from among them, and crumble them from within. Two, that a great tragedy would befall their leader, crippling their resolve. And three, that one would hide a secret from his teammates that, when revealed, had the power to destroy them all.

And with such ahead of our heroes, the true story can begin.

* * *

Jaune was able to successfully land the airship in the crate storage at Vale's shipyard. After some arguments between him and the staff, the teams grabbed their belongings, walked off the ship, and never saw it again.

Ruby skipped up to Jaune and gave him a solid poke. And Jaune, not expecting it, was pushed over a little. "Hey, watch where you point that thing!" He scolded, somehow still able to smile and joke after everything they had gone through.

Ruby pulled out the small letter. "These supplies are mostly just foodstuffs and water. But these things towards the bottom – steel, Dust, blades, chambers – these things are for weapons! Most of us have already built our own, so I don't think that we'll be needing these."

Jaune seemed to have gone into deep thought. Ruby was just about to ask him what his plan was when she realized a way where they still needed those supplies. "Wait…"

Jaune began to focus on reality. "What about…"

They turned around, almost simultaneously, to see their favorite knight leaning against a crate only a few meters away. "…Natal!" they shouted in unison.

The doppleganger jogged over to them and crossed his arms. "What's up?" he asked.

Jaune was the one to speak first. "Can we see your weapon?"

Natal drew his sword and showed it to the two of them. It was wide, and quite heavy-looking. It probably was about four feet long, an inch or two thick, and a good foot broad. Natal wielded it like it was a toy.

Ruby got up and personal into it, looking it over, studying it, obsessing over it. After her inspection was complete, she turned to Jaune. "Just as I thought."

"No morphing." Jaune sighed. "Let's gather everyone together and get this organized." He called the teams together, where they made a half-circle around the trio.

Again, Ruby was the one to take charge. "RWBY, JNPR, today we've seen a lot of things. Things I don't fully understand myself. I know that those mountains are our only hope, and that it's going to be one long journey. So long, in fact, that along with this map I have here we were given a list of supplies to grab. To speed up the process, we'll do this in teams." Ruby handed the parchment to Jaune.

"Alright, Ren and Nora. You'll be in charge of gathering foodstuffs. Get anything that lasts long, and doesn't need to be treated. Weiss, Blake, you're on water and storage. Try to get stuff that carries a lot but isn't too cumbersome. Pyrrha, Natal, and Yang, you guys get the map and are to find the wherever the point where we need to launch from. Ruby and I will get the final things on the list." Jaune looked around. "Any questions?"

Yang was the one to step forward. "Yeah, what exactly are you two getting?"

Ruby was beginning to get tired of Yang's overprotectiveness. "We're getting supplies to build Natal his own weapon, one that can use Aura and Dust."

Yang wasn't convinced. "If it's something as simple as that, then why don't I go with you, and Jaune can go find the start of the trail."

"Because we all know you're our best tracker, sis." Ruby stung back. "And I don't need you to babysit me anymore!"

"Well, I wouldn't need to if you were mature enough for me to trust you."

"How can you even say that? When have I ever proven to be untrustworthy?"

"Oh, I don't know, when you left me to head to Snowy Forest? When I found you alone with a complete stranger and Vomit Boy? When you decide to run off alone with him and keep the rest of us away? You're full of reasons that I need to keep an eye on you, Ruby!"

Ruby yanked out Crescent Rose, fully extended it, and smashed it into the ground. "I don't need you to keep looking after me! I'm completely capable on my own! In fact, I don't need you anymore!" She grabbed Jaune's arm, surprising him, and they both disappeared in a flurry of petals.

What neither of them saw was Yang standing there, shaking. Neither heard her whisper, "Ruby." And neither witnessed her fall to her hands and knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

* * *

Jaune and Ruby were walking down one of Vale's many crowded streets. They both had their hoodies up, hiding their faces from prying eyes. They had no idea why, but they had begun to feel that secrecy was going to keep them safe.

A thousand thoughts raced through Jaune's head as they walked to the equipment shop a block away.

_Why was Yang so uptight? Why is Ruby being so defensive? What's going on between those two?_

_Is this really about me? Am I the reason their fighting?_

Normally, Jaune would have loved to be fought over by women, but this was different. He had known Yang and Ruby for over a year, now. He had thought of the two as great friends. He had always believed that nothing would ever separate the two sisters. But he never would have guessed that an argument over him was going to split them apart.

They entered the shop without speaking. The door striking a small bell as it opened. The ringing noise faded after a couple of seconds, in which Ruby had already grabbed a basket and was already walking down an aisle, picking out different parts and materials. Jaune followed her and picked items from the other side.

After a few moments, Ruby stopped picking at weapon parts. In her hand she held a steel plate, perfectly round and only a few inches wide. It functioned quite well as a mirror. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Jaune couldn't help but hear her. He knew that he should respond. Say something, anything. But nothing came to mind. "It's fine." He finally came up with.

He could feel the energy in the air, both the tension between them and an electric buzz he couldn't help but notice.

"No, it's not fine." Jaune could see Ruby's eyes looking at him through the reflection on the part. "I didn't mean to put you in the spotlight like that. It's just, I can't stand Yang sometimes."

Jaune put down his hoodie and put his hand on her shoulder. He could feel her tense under his touch, but relax a moment later. "She's only trying to do what she thinks is best, Ruby."

"I know," Ruby lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper. "But sometimes I think that she's going overboard. I'm fifteen, Jaune! I'm old enough to make my own decisions, now!"

Jaune turned Ruby around, put both hands on her shoulders, and kneeled down in front of her. "Hey! Ruby! It's okay! It's all going to be fine." She looked up and Jaune again looked into her silver eyes, watching as dozens of emotions battled inside her for control. "We all make mistakes, but we have a choice with how we deal with them. We can either define ourselves by them, or we can learn from them."

Jaune smiled as he continued to look into her eyes. He was beginning to see a change in them, already. "I know it hurts, but sometimes our mistakes tell us that we're holding on to something that we've outgrown. For Yang, it's acting like your mother. For you, it's acting like her child. Ruby, we are growing up, like you said. But that doesn't mean that you have to make all of your choices alone. Let your friends and family help you."

She looked at him, their eyes connected. Neither one moved for some time. Then, Ruby smiled, wiped the tears from her eyes, and said "Thank you, Jaune."

"Any time, Ruby." He stood up. "Any time."

They quickly grabbed their remaining supplies and paid for everything. Just as they had exited the shop and Jaune had put his hood back on, they both received messages on their scrolls. "Looks like Natal has gotten a lot better with using his scroll." Jaune commented. "Let's head out to meet them."

* * *

Ren and Nora had finished rounding up their supplies and were heading to the rendezvous point when something stopped them. Ren looked into the shop they were in front of and saw a small guitar on display.

"You always were a good musician." Nora told him. Ren nodded. The instrument brought back memories of his childhood, memories that brought a few tears to his eyes.

Nora put her hand on his arm. "It's okay Ren. I don't blame you for any of it."

Ren closed his eyes and tightened his fists. The tears still streamed through his shut eyelids.

Nora let go of him and disappeared for a moment. Ren was fine with that. He wanted to just be alone with his thoughts, to forget what he had done to his friend, and to simply escape.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the instrument was gone. When he turned to find Nora, he saw her exiting the shop, thanking the owner, and holding the guitar in her hand. When she turned to look at him, she blushed and handed it to him. "Here." Ren took it. "Ren, you know I forgive you, don't you?"

Ren turned and continued walking down the street. "I know." He replied.

_But I still can't forgive myself._

* * *

They all stood in a grassy field. In front of them, a Grimm-infested forest that stood north of Vale. Behind them, the shining city that they had all come to call home. They all carried some form of pack or bag on them. While none of them were ready to leave their lives behind, they knew it was their only option.

Ren was the first one to step forward. He walked until he had reached the edge of the forest, then, still facing the trees, shouted back "Anyone else coming?"

They came one-by-one. First Nora, then Weiss, then Blake, then Pyrrha. As Yang took a few steps towards them, she sent a glare in Ruby and Jaune's direction before joining the others. Jaune followed after her, then Ruby. Natal was the last one to go, passing them all and stepping into the forest. He turned towards them and cleared his throat.

"I've known you all for only a day so far. Yet it feels as if it's been far longer. You are being forced to leave behind your homes and your lives, while it seems that mine have already abandoned me. We know that there is only one place left here in Remnant where we can all find sanctuary. That place is far off, across the Bay, and in the Western Mountains. There, a place called the Academy stands. Those who find it are trained to become the greatest warriors mankind has ever seen." He looked at every person in front of him, individually, before he went on. "That's where we're headed. Now, we're the only people who can stop the coming apocalypse. The journey will be brutal. Battles will be fought, hardships will be crossed, people may die." He paused and looked at Ruby. _I pray that she won't blame herself for it, too. _"But you are Hunters and Huntresses, warriors and tacticians, and the last hope Remnant has." He turned towards the forest, and drew his sword. "From now on, we either live as legends, or die as heroes."

And with that, he stepped into the shadows of the forest, disappearing from view. Slowly, the rest of the group did as well, until only Jaune and Ruby were left.

"Jaune," she pulled out Crescent Rose. "I'm scared."

He opened his shield and unsheathed his sword. "So am I, Ruby. But that's why we're here, isn't it? To overcome it."

Ruby cocked her weapon and Jaune flared his sword. "I guess so."

They heard the roar of an Ursa and the shouts of their friends come from the forest. Sounds of battle floated on the wind. The air was changing, and so were their lives.

"Well, we're going to either live together or die together, Ruby. What do you say, for old time's sake?" Jaune moved into a defensive pose, ready to charge into the woods.

Ruby swung Crescent Rose behind her back, preparing to run as fast as she could. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

And with that, they jumped weapons first into the forest, leaving their old lives behind forever.

* * *

**Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement throughout this story! Since the RWBY Volume 2 premiere is so close, I'm going to suspend putting out _Lucifer Rising: The Academy_ until after that happens. But to give you guys a taste of what's coming I've prepared a sneak peek. Tomorrow I'm uploading it as the last chapter in this story.**

**Once Volume 2 premiers, expect the first chapter of _Academy_ to come out within the hour. I hope to see you all there!**

**Until next time, read on!**


	7. Sneak Peek

**WARNING: The following sneak peek contains spoilers related to the story of **_**Lucifer Rising: The Academy. **_**If that kind of thing bothers you, then please, do not read this story. Otherwise, prepare for a glimpse into the next chapter of Remnant's fight for survival.**

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It was nearly midnight. They sat around their small campfire, cold and tired. Their tents were set up only a few feet away, but they still had far too much adrenaline in them to go to sleep. Everybody was downcast, either looking into the fire or staring at their feet. Even Nora was unnaturally quiet. She and Ren sat on one log, Blake and Weiss on another, and Ruby and Jaune sat on the last one. Natal stood, facing away from the fire and out into the dark forest, keeping an eye for Grimm. He was wearing his Alpha armor. He seemed to prefer it to all of the other forms he had used.

Yang was lying on her blood-soaked cot, closest to the fire. Her eyes were closed, and she was breathing heavy. She seemed weak, unable to raise her voice above a whisper. Pyrrha watched over her, tending to her wounds and trying her best to heal her. They all knew how slim Yang's chances were, but Pyrrha was the only one could help her now.

Yang put her hand on Pyrrha's arm, attracting her attention. Her eyes were opened, and she was struggling to speak. "Weiss…" was all she was able to say.

Pyrrha looked up from her patient for only a moment. "Weiss, she's calling for you."

Immediately Weiss stood and walked over to her wounded comrade. She knelt down next to her. "What is it Yang? How can I help?" She asked, eyes beginning to water.

Yang smiled at her. "Hey, don't cry. It'll take more than this to kill me." Tears began to slowly make their way down Weiss's cheek as she returned her friend's smile. "Could you sing me a song, Weiss?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, Yang, didn't you hear? I've gone mute." She smiled as the tears came faster. "Of course. Any suggestions?"

Yang motioned for her to lean in. She put her head right next to Yang's mouth, and listened to her request. She nodded, and put her hand on Yang's shoulder.

As she rose, she looked around at her teammates. No, they had become more than that. They were no longer teams RWBY and JNPR. They were family. Family. It was something none of them had been a part of for a very long time.

"Does anyone have an instrument?" Weiss asked. Ruby knew that it was a long shot. They hadn't prepared well for their adventure, so she doubted anyone had brought music along.

"I do." Spoke Ren, surprising everyone in the group. Weiss moved to stand next to him as he reached in his pack and pulled out a small guitar. She whispered into his ear, and he nodded. He placed his good hand on the neck, and his bionic one on the strings. He looked up at her. "I guess I get to try out my new toy, finally." She nodded.

"Whenever you're ready." She told him, still somber.

At first, Ren hesitated, almost unable to bring himself to play. Then, after a deep breath, he began to pluck on the strings. _Pluck, pluck, Pluck, pluck, Pluck, pluck, pluck-a pluck-a._

Nobody recognized the song. It was just a mix of simple, one stroke notes that didn't mean anything to any of them. Except Ruby. She realized what they were playing for Yang long before Weiss began to sing, and her eyes began to tear up.

_Pluck, pluck, Pluck, pluck, Pluck, pluck, pluck-a pluck-a, Pluck, pluck, pluck, pluck, Pluck._

Weiss stood straight and took in a deep breath before letting the first note escape her lips.

"_**Red like roses fills my dreams…"**_

Ruby felt the tears begin to form.

"…_**and brings me to the place you rest."**_

Her heart began to beat faster. _Why, Yang? Why did you have to save me?_

"_**White is cold and always yearning..."**_

She felt her skin cool as the first tear left her eye and slowly fell down her face.

"…_**burdened by a royal test."**_

She sobbed, attracting the attention of Jaune.

"_**Black the beast descends from shadow."**_

_Why did you have to be the hero? Why didn't you stay with the group? You would be safe, I would've gotten what I deserved!_

"_**Yellow beauty burns…"**_

Jaune put his arm around Ruby's shoulder. She leaned into him and put her head on his shoulder. _Why did it have to be you?_

"…_**Gold."**_

Ren went into a solo. As his fingers began to move faster and faster, the music seemed to grow more and more intense. Finally, he simply stopped playing, pushed something on the instrument, and it switched into a piano. He transitioned to a much slower tune, one of sadness and longing. His fingers expertly glided over the keys, both his real and robotic one. Now, everybody knew what song they were playing, and they all sat there, listening to the two protégés before them. Tears began to form in most of their eyes, few able to keep themselves composed under both the tension of the day and the emotion of the music. Nora was already bawling her eyes out.

Ruby continued to go through her inner turmoil until Jaune whispered to her. "You don't need to blame yourself."

"But I was stupid. I deserved it." Ruby replied through a broken voice. "She should've just let me go through it, instead of putting herself in the crossfire." Her tears began anew.

"She's was only doing what she's supposed to." Jaune held her closer.

"And what would that be?" She asked.

Jaune put his head against hers for just a second. Only a single second, but to Ruby it felt like an eternity. One that she never wanted to leave. "'There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for another.'" He replied, lifting his head. "She's protecting you, and telling you that she still loves you."

Weiss took another deep breath and began the next part of the song, this time in a higher, but sadder, style.

"_**Mirror,"**_

Ruby thought about what Jaune said. _Protect me? Love me?_

"_**Tell me something,"**_

_But why? I thought I would never earn that from her again, not after Beacon._

"_**Tell me who's the loneliest of all?"**_

_But she sacrificed her life for me…_

"_**Fear of…"**_

…_does that mean…_

"…_**what's inside of me,"**_

…_that after all this time, Yang finally…_

"_**Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?"**_

…_she forgives me?_

Ren again went into a solo, but this time he stayed with his piano form.

_Oh, Ruby. Don't you know? I never blamed you in the first place._

Ruby realized that she had never let it cross her mind that her sister _could_ forgive her. Now, she couldn't believe that she hadn't seen it before. But it didn't make her any happier. In fact it only seemed to hurt her more. _She had to sacrifice herself for me before I could even begin to realize she had forgiven me. Why hadn't I seen it sooner?_

The song was drawing to a close, but Weiss still had a few lines left, so she made them count.

"_**Mirror,"**_

_I'm so sorry Yang._ Ruby pulled herself closer to Jaune.

"_**Tell me something,"**_

_I forgive you, Ruby._ The voice responded.

"_**Tell me who's the loneliest of all?"**_

"Thanks, Jaune." Ruby whispered.

"_**I am the loneliest of all."**_

"Anytime, Ruby." was his answer. "Anytime."

Ruby closed her eyes, and put one hand behind Jaune, the other on his lap. _And anytime you need me as well, Jaune._ He put his hand in hers, and they laced their fingers together.

_Anytime._


End file.
